2000
#129,619
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Fegert
A German surname derived from the word "Feger" meaning sweeper or chimney sweep.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 114 Americans carry the last name Fegert. That puts it at #156,005 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 3,006,617 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Fegert surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
114
1 in 3,006,617
Census rank
#156,005
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
99
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 99 bearers of the surname Fegert in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 156005th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Fegert, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Fegert
The surname Fegert is believed to have originated in Germany during the medieval period. It is thought to be derived from the Old German words "feger" meaning sweeper or cleaner, and "hart" meaning hard or tough, suggesting the name may have been an occupational surname for a sweeper or cleaner who worked diligently.
The earliest known record of the name Fegert can be found in the town of Augsburg, Bavaria in the late 13th century. The name appears in a document from 1287 referring to a certain Hans Fegert, a local sweeper employed by the town council.
By the 16th century, variations of the name such as Fegerte, Feghert, and Feggert began appearing in various regions of southern Germany, including the states of Baden-Württemberg and Bayern. These spellings likely reflected regional dialects and preferences.
In the early 17th century, a notable individual named Johann Fegert (1598-1672) was a respected Lutheran theologian and author from the town of Tübingen. His works on religious philosophy and scriptural interpretation were widely studied in German universities of the time.
Another prominent figure was Christoph Fegert (1638-1711), a wealthy merchant and landowner from the city of Nuremberg. He is recorded as having donated substantial funds towards the construction of a new church and orphanage in the city during the late 1600s.
Moving into the 18th century, the name Fegert spread further across central Europe, with records showing individuals bearing the name in areas of modern-day Austria, Switzerland, and even parts of northern Italy. One such person was Maria Fegert (1723-1798), a renowned textile weaver from the town of Bregenz, Austria, whose intricate tapestries adorned several noble households of the time.
By the 19th century, the Fegert name had become well-established across German-speaking regions, with various branches of the family tree emerging in different localities. Notable individuals from this period include Karl Fegert (1876-1939), a pioneering architect from Munich who designed several iconic buildings in the city's distinctive Bavarian style.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Fegert
Among Census respondents with the surname Fegert, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Fegert bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Fegert surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.9% · 94
- Hispanic or Latino4.0% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Fegert
Fegert appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#158,432
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
-19 bearers (-15.7%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 28,813 places
2020
#156,005
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 99
-3 bearers (-2.9%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Up 2,427 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #129,619 | 121 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #158,432 | 102 | 0.03 | -19 bearers (-15.7%) | Down 28,813 places |
| 2020 | #156,005 | 99 | 0.03 | -3 bearers (-2.9%) | Up 2,427 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Fegert surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #158,432 | #156,005 | 1.5% |
| Count | 102 | 99 | -2.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.03 | 10.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Fegert bearers went from 102 to 99 (-2.9% change). The surname moved up 2,427 positions in the national ranking, going from #158,432 to #156,005.
FAQ
Fegert surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Fegert?
Name Census estimates that about 114 living Americans carry the surname Fegert. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 3,006,617 residents.
How common is Fegert?
Fegert ranks #156,005 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 99 people with the surname Fegert. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (114), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Fegert.
Has Fegert become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Fegert went from 102 recorded bearers to 99. That is a decrease of 3 (-2.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #158,432 to #156,005.
What does the Census say about the background of Fegert?
Among Census respondents with the surname Fegert, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Fegert in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.9% (94 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Fegert appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.9%), Hispanic (4.0%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Fegert (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Fegert mean?
A German surname derived from the word "Feger" meaning sweeper or chimney sweep. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Fegert (0.03 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people are called Fegert?
Want to know how many Americans have the surname Fegert? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.